No matter your industry, local SEO can bring more customers through your door. Local SEO involves optimizing multiple aspects of your online presence such as business listings, reviews and website content for maximum effect.
Researchers have revealed that only five percent of businesses adhere to best practices with their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). By taking steps to enhance your profile and beat out competition more efficiently.
Increased Traffic
Local SEO should be part of every small business’s digital marketing strategy, helping small firms compete more evenly against larger rivals by increasing visibility in search results – and, in turn, leading to new customers and sales.
Local SEO goes beyond general search engine optimization by targeting specific keywords related to your location, making content more engaging for audiences while increasing chances of ranking higher on SERPs.
Local SEO involves more than optimizing website content; it also involves claiming and optimizing Google My Business profiles as well as your backlink profile to increase rankings and drive more visitors to both your physical store and website. An effective local SEO strategy must address all these components to achieve maximum exposure for both websites and physical stores.
Increased Conversions
Search engine optimization (SEO) for local businesses is the ideal way to increase foot traffic to their physical office/storefront or website conversion rates. Achieve ranking on Google’s Local Pack and Maps could generate more phone calls, emails and social media messages from potential customers – leading to greater footfall at physical locations as well as website conversion rates.
SEO for local businesses must prioritize keywords used by searchers when looking for products and services nearby. Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer tool makes this easier, enabling you to identify the most frequently performed local searches before prioritizing them appropriately.
Make sure all your business listings are current and consistent across platforms – this includes Google Business Profile, Yelp and other review websites. To gain more reviews for your business add “request a review” reminders on receipts, business cards or in-store signage; social listening can also provide invaluable insight that can support local SEO strategies.
Increased Revenue
Local SEO increases your online visibility, giving Tom, Gill and Sally looking for products or services like yours the opportunity to see it when searching search engines results pages. This provides an effective means of drawing in new customers while increasing revenue.
Note that people tend to trust local businesses over national ones and therefore tend to visit, recommend and make repeat purchases; this is especially true if a previous customer reviews your business positively.
Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews for your Google Business Page and other listings, especially with Semrush Listing Management’s review system, Semrush Review Manager. More authentic reviews mean higher search and snack pack results rankings for your business, leading to more calls, clicks, conversions and revenue growth for your company.
Increased Brand Awareness
Local SEO is an effective way for small businesses to enhance brand recognition in local search ecosystems. It consists of optimizing digital footprint signals such as Google My Business, citations, and review signals – as well as marketing activities designed to create awareness on social media or build link relationships from influencers or businesses willing to promote your service to their customers.
As an animal salon, optimizing your website content with key terms such as “pet grooming”, “dog haircuts”, and “skin treatments” may help customers searching for these services find your business and potentially visit in person.
Another crucial component of local search is having a large number of reviews online. An impressive collection can go a long way toward winning over potential new customers; you can gather reviews through websites and consumer directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Thumbtack.